The Facts about OnePlus 2 we already know, and are excited about

One would admire OnePlus as a brand, half for the reason that they made an actual flagship killer with its aggressive pricing, and half because they know how to keep someone interested in their products. Marketing without spending, creating hype and actually delivering something that speaks good for itself. OnePlus One was a beauty, and was enough to build up all the anticipation for the next flagship from the brand.

OnePlus 2, let’s talk about it. If we talked about it earlier, it would have been more of rumors. Now, we know a few things to be excited about already, thanks to the teasers from OnePlus coming out every few days.

What’s exciting

Fingerprint Sensor

When you say the phone is coming with a fingerprint sensor for additional security, it won’t be as exciting because there are a lot of smartphones already having one. But, the fact that OnePlus claims this to be faster than the Touch ID on Apple iPhone 6, makes it interesting to the next level.

Earlier, it was all about being the first to bring a feature that might not be used to a good extent. But now, fingerprint sensors are used well in devices that come with it. Enough to say we are already excited to see how well OnePlus has managed to get this to work, and also, where will this be placed. We’re guessing, it should be on the back of the device.

While detailing about the Fingerprint sensor on the OnePlus 2, here’s what it confirmed – it needs just a tap to unlock the device, and a total of five fingerprints can be registered.

USB Type C Port

The OnePlus 2 will be the first flagship to have a USB Type C port. There’s a downfall with this, i.e. you might have to carry its cable and adapter around, and won’t be able to use the same for a secondary device of yours. But, we’re just guessing about the possibilities, and OnePlus says that they have patented a few things they’ll announce that are possible with the new USB Type C and its changes done.

Paired with our adapter, the port will be backwards compatible, so current One owners don’t have to worry. With the OnePlus 2, the USB cable is more optimal than ever. It’s a simple change to connectivity, but it’s something we saw needed to change.

Who knows, if this is the USB 3.1 standard, you know this is going to be much quicker in file transfer and possibly with charging as well, compared to MicroUSB 2.0 that is on most of the current flagships.

Launching in 3D Virtual Reality, OnePlus Cardboard 2.0

Oh yeah, this gets even more exciting. The OnePlus 2 will launch via VR, and can be watched by anyone who has a VR kit. To make things easier, OnePlus is making those cardboards, and are going to ship them from the third week of July. In India, these would cost not even two dollars (Rs. 99), and this isn’t something exclusive for OnePlus users. Cardboards can be used with different smartphones, and thus will be helpful anyway.

The fact that we aren’t going to see a traditional launch with media attending it, and something cool that can be experienced by everyone, makes the wait look even longer.

4GB LPDDR4 RAM

We had noticed this through the benchmark test results, but now the company officially mentions about the 4GB RAM inclusion in the device. The ZenFone 2 from Asus was the first to have 4GB RAM and that actually helped in heavy multitasking, and so, we are sure going to love doing that in the OnePlus 2 as well.

3300 mAh Battery, Phone smaller than OnePlus One

The OnePlus 2 is going to have a 3300 mAh battery. That is seriously good, considering how well did the OnePlus One fare with its 3100 mAh battery. Interestingly, though there are several inclusions, the size of OnePlus 2 is going to be smaller than its predecessor. That means we might be seeing smaller bezels around the same 5.5inch screen.

The upcoming device though won’t be supporting wireless charging, as the company considers wireless charging to be slow and not that useful. If OnePlus retains the same 1080p resolution here, then the 3300 mAh battery should be a seriously good upgrade.

What we are skeptical about

Snapdragon 810 v2.1

We already know about the processor, and that is more of a doubt about its performance and the heating issues. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 faced so much criticism that no other chipset did, because of the heating and throttling of CPU to control it. For a flagship chipset, that was unacceptable, and it is clear how reviews claim about poor performance in LG G Flex 2, Sony Xperia Z3+ only because of the Snapdragon 810.

The one in OnePlus 2 is going to have a v2.1 of Snapdragon 810, which is said to be controlling it in other way and keeping the performance high. Of course the clock speed is affected, but it seems to be still doing well. Nothing can be said until the phone is released.

Pricing it over $400

The price is going to be higher for sure. We don’t expect OnePlus to come up with the same price that was for the OnePlus, as there are a lot of upgrades, and including fingerprint scanner, a high-end processor, and new technologies for connectivity that increase the budget.

But it won’t be the same killer factor of pricing that will help OnePlus 2 sell, if the device is priced over $400. They might be able to sell it well as a new flagship, but not as a flagship killer this year, as one of the major reasons for OnePlus to become a major hit, was its pricing.

The availability will be the same way, through invites. That was how the OnePlus One was hyped last year, and the company is continuing with the same system to begin with.

Update, July 7th: Pete Lau, CEO of OnePlus, has promised that the OnePlus 2 will be priced under $450. But that again raises a question. Is that price for the 16GB variant, or will the 64GB one cost $450 be the top price for the OnePlus 2?

What else? we are sure going to see a lot more before the launch that is on July 27th, and you know how it is launching. We’re hoping to see a better camera, a higher capacity battery, and don’t want to see an upgraded display resolution as that is what users won’t expect to see if it just drains the battery and affects the performance. Finally, if OnePlus is able to tackle things well with the Snapdragon 810, and optimize the OxygenOS for a great performance, brands like LG, Sony, and HTC will face a tough competition for their flagship having the same chipset.

Related

Chetan Bhawani is a dentist, a tech blogger and a passionate writer in the field of technology. He keeps himself connected to the web for the entire day, of course except when he's dozed off! Add +Chetan Bhawani on Google Plus for more!